Machines for attaching pronged garment fasteners



Field ofSearch 227/15; 18

United States Patent 1111 3,539,088

[ 72] Inventor Clarence Martin Wilson [56] References Cited Birminsham, England UNITED STATES PATENTS [211 H 1 2 1 377,051 H1888 Saxe m1 227/18 [221 2,718,005 9/1955 Steinmetz.... 227/15 [45] Patented Nov. 10,1970 3 237 832 3/1966 227 3] Assignee Thomas Walker Limited 1 1 1 son [7 Bit in h E la d 3,265,275 8/1966 Wilson 227/18 S i 83 m 3,358,895 12/1967 Chiabrandy 227/15 [32] Priority May 11, 1967, Jan. 20, 1968 Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. [33] Great Britain Attorney- Richards and Geier 31 21,825/67 and 3438/68 ABSTRACT: This invention concerns a machine for setting pronged garment fasteners wherein the fasteners are loaded [54] MACHINES FOR ATTACHING PRONGED into a lower die with their prongs presented upwardly and GARMENT FASTENER? complementary backplate components are loaded into a 11 Claims 10 Drawing downwardly-presented upper die which may be provided on [52] 0.8. CI. 27/18 the underside of a mandrel or on the underside of a stationary [5i] lnt.Cl A41h 37/02 head part, and wherein the fastener components can be fed [50] and loaded into said dies automatically.

Patented av. 10, 1970 CLARENCE MART, ld/LSM/ nvvEA/raR Patented Nov. 10, 1970 3,539,088

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ArroR/ve'ys MACHINES FOR ATTACHING PRONGED GARMENT FASTENERS This invention relates to machines, commonly termed clenching machines" or clenching presses, for attaching to garment material pronged fastener members of garment fastening devices, said fastener members being of the type having a plurality of prongs which are adapted to be forced through the thickness of the garment material and to be folded or clenched over against an associated separate backplate positioned against the inner face of the material.

In particular, the invention is especially applicable to clenching machines or clenching presses of a kind which are designed for attaching to garment material pronged hook members and eye members of hook-and-eye garment fastening devices, and which have provision for automatic loading of the fastener components. In machines of this kind which have been proposed previously, the mechanical design has been such that the pronged members are supplied to a movable upper die and the backplates are supplied to a lower die, and during the attachment operation the upper die is caused to move downwards towards the lower die which remains stationary. This arrangement, however, tends to lead to con siderable complexity in the mechanical construction, due especially to the need to provide a satisfactory method of feeding and loading the pronged fastener members to the upper die, and various other undesirable features and disadvantages arise in producing a fully satisfactory and reliable machine which is commercially acceptable and not unduly costly to manufacture.

One object of the present invention is accordingly to provide for a clenching machine or clenching press incorporating automatic loading means for the fastener components, an improved constructional arrangement which enables a high degree of mechanical simplicity to be obtained.

Thus, according to one aspect of the invention, a machine for attaching to garment material pronged fastener members of garment fastening devices comprises, in combination, a downwardly-presented upper die which is provided with prong clenching means and which is adapted to be loaded with backplates of the pronged fastener members, an opposed upwardly-presented lower die which is adapted to be loaded with the pronged fastener members having the prongs thereof directed upwards, means to feed and load automatically the backplates into the upper die, means to releasably retain said backplates in located position in said upper die, means to feed and load automatically the pronged fastener members into the lower die, and operating means to effect relative approach movement between the upper and lower dies to bring said dies into cooperative relationship during performance of the attachment operation.

In applying the invention to clenching machines intended for use in attaching the pronged fastener members to sleeve or pocket portions of garments, such as trousers or skirt waistbands, according to a further preferred feature, the upper die is carried by the underside of an elongate mandrel arm which can be inserted or introduced into the made-up sleeve or pocket portion.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the components of a typical hook-and-eye garment fastening device;

FIG. 2 is a general perspective view of a clenching machine representing a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view ofthe same machine;

FIG. 4 is a detail rear perspective view on a larger scale of the lower dies;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on line VV of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section on line VI-VI of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section on line VII-VII of FIG. 5, some parts having been omitted for the sake of clarity of illustration;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the air cylinder control system;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective of a machine accordingto a second embodiment; and

FIG. 10 is an end perspective of the machine of FIG. 9.

Referring to the drawings, the hookand-eye garment fastening device shown in FIG. 1 consists of a pronged hook member 10 and associated backplate 11 together with a complementary pronged eye member or staple l2 and associated backplate 13. v

This particular hook member 11 which is illustrated comprises a transversely stepped sheet metal plate 15 having along opposite edges of the base end portion 16 a pair of pointed attachment prongs 17 which are adapted to be passed through the garment material and to be clenched over against the backplate 11 which is positioned behind the material. The backplate 11 is substantially flat except for a pair of channels 19 which extend transversely between prong-receiving apertures 20, 20.

The eye member 12 which is illustrated comprises a sheet metal bar 22 having at each end a shouldered prong 23 which is adapted to be clenched against the apertured rectangular sheet metal backplate 13 after penetration through the gar ment material.

The clenching machine shown in FIGS. 2 to 8 is specifically designed for attaching simultaneously a pair of pronged hook members of the form shown in FIG. 1 to made-up waistband portions of trousers which include an extension flap in the form of a relatively narrow pocket closed at the outer end.

The machine is mounted on a bench table 30 and has an open rectangular frame 32 comprising a base 33, side plates 34, 34; and upper crossmember 35.

Adjacent crossmember 35 is an elongate flat metal bar of a cantilever mandrel arm 36 which is adapted to be fitted into the made-up extension flap of the trousers waistband and which carries on its underside a pair of upper dies 38, 38, adapted to be loaded with the hook member backplates 11.

The mandrel arm 36 is pivotally mounted at its inner end, at 39, to a bracket 40 carried by the frame 32 to permit limited angular movement in a vertical plane, but it is upwardly biassed by a compression spring 41 acting through lever 46 so as normally to extend in a substantially horizontal plane in contact with a forwardly-projecting portion 37 of the frame crossmember 35 which forms a fixed overhead abutment, A chain link 42 anchored to a portion of the mandrel arm 36 and connected to a foot treadle (not shown) is provided to enable the mandrel arm to be lowered to provide clearance space to facilitate fitting within the garment waistband.

The upper dies 38, 38, are each formed by a shallow recess 43 in the underface of the mandrel conforming to the shape of the backplates 11 which seat therein. Each die recess 43 has a pair of downwardly directed projections 44, 44, which register with the prong-receiving apertures 20, 20, of the backplates 11, and which are formed with curved anvil surfaces 45. Each die recess 43 is also partly covered at one side by the end of an associated blade spring 47 which is secured to the underside of the mandrel and which acts as a clip to releasably retain the backplates 11 in located position when they have been loaded into said die 38.

Below the mandrel arm 36 the machine is provided with a pair of complementary lower dies 50,50, adapted to be loaded with the hook members 10 with the prongs 17 thereof presented upwardly. These lower dies 50, 50, are each carried by a vertically-reciprocatable operating plunger 51 actuated by an air cylinder 52 directly underneath the base 33 of the machine frame 32, and in operation, after loading both upper and lower dies with the fastener components and slipping the garment waistband over the mandrel arm, the lower dies are caused to move upwards so that the prongs 17 of the hook members 10 are'forced through the garment material, enter the prong-receiving apertures 20 of the backplates I1, and are folded or clenched over by impact with the anvil surfaces 45 within the upper die recesses 43.

Each lower die 50 comprises a punch member 53 formed by a lower block 54, which is secured to the upper end of the associated operating plunger 51, and an upwardly projecting driving shank 55 which is slidably fitted within a channel section outer sleeve part 56 resiliently supported on block 54 by compression springs 58, 58 and connected through a stud and slot coupling to a vertical front plate 60 fixed rigidly to the front of block 54. Block 54 is also provided with 'a side plate 62 which engages a fixed guide block 64 supported by a pillar 65 carried by the frame 32.

The sleeve 56 normally projects above the top of the driving shank 55 of the punch member 53 and defines a cuplike recess 66, open along the rear at 67, adapted to receive and accommodate the hook members which are loaded thereinto with their prongs directed upwardly. One end of this recess 66 is closed by a retractable jaw member 69 pivotally mounted in one side of the sleeve part 56 towards the top thereof, and this jaw member 69 is spring loaded so as to move inwards to engage and hold each hook member in located position within recess 66 during operation of the machine. In the normal loading position of the lower dies, however, an external portion of jaw member 69 contacts an inclined surface of a fixed cam or abutment 70 carried by a plate 71 secured to the guide block 64 so that the jaw member 69 is caused to pivot outwards to enlarge the rearwardly-directed opening or entrance 67 of the die recess 66, thereby to facilitate introduction of the hook members.

The machine is provided with means for feeding and automatically loading the hook members 10 into the lower dies 50, 50, comprising a pair of feed channels 75, 75, carried by, and supplied continuously with the hook members by separate portable vibratory feed drums 76, 76, of known type positioned on the bench table 30 towards the rear. The hook members lie in the feed channels 75, 75, in the same position as that in which they are loaded into the dies 50, 50, that is, with their prongs directed upwards, this being the most satisfactory position for feeding. A flange 78 partly overlying the interior of the feed channels serves to retain the hook members in position whilst they are subjected by the action of the vibratory feed drums 76 to a continuous light feed pressure urging them forwards when the channels are filled with a continuous row lying side by side.

The forward end of each feed channel 75 terminates adjacent and in alignment with the rear opening or entrance 67 of the recess 66 of the respective lower die 50 when the latter is in its normal loading position. The hook members 10 emerging from each feed channel 75 pass through a short transfer slot 79 partly covered by a locating spring blade 80 in a fixed guide plate 81 and are fed automatically, one at a time, through the opening 67 and into the die recess 66 each time the latter is emptied after an attachment operation and return of the die 50 to the loading position.

For automatically feeding and loading the backplate 11 into the upper dies 38, 38, the top frame crossmember 35 carries a pair of pillar-type gravity feed storage magazines 84, 84, in which the backplates are stacked, and substantially horizontal feed channels 85, 85, extend through member 35, beneath the lower ends of the magazines 84, 84, to open outer ends immediately adjacent and in alignment with the respective die recesses 43, 43, when the mandrel arm 36 is in its normal raised position.

Each feed channel 85 is fitted with a reciprocatable feed slide 86 adapted to feed the backplates forward, one at a time on each stroke, to load the associated die. The feed slides 86 each have a stepped formation comprising a relatively wide upper bladelike body 88 having a front edge 89 constituting a feed surface adapted to engage the rear edge of the backplates in feed channel 85, and a forwardly-extending relatively narrow lower tongue portion 90 which is adapted to engage the underside of the backplate and support the latter as it is transferred from the feed channel into the die recess 43 wherein it is retained by the associated blade spring 47. To assist in guiding the backplates into position during loading of the die, each spring 47 also has a downturned lip 92 along its rear edge to provide a bevelled guide surface.

Each feed slide 86 is controlled by its own air cylinder 94 positioned at the back so that a simple direct mechanical action is obtained, and the stroke is set so that the backplates are each transferred from the magazine 84 into the respective upper die 38 in one movement.

The air cylinders 94, 94, for operating the backplate feed slides are conveniently controlled by separate manuallyoperated valves 95, 95, having forwardly-extending actuating levers 96, 96, arranged side-by-side at the right-hand side of the press so that they can readily be operated simultaneously by finger tip pressure of the operator.

The air cylinders 52, 52, for operating the plunger 51, 51, carrying the lower dies 50, 50, are also controlled, in this embodiment, by a pair of manually-operable control valves 98, 98, having forwardly-extending actuating levers 99, 99, positioned side-by-side at the left-hand side of the apparatus, and by a second manually-operable safety control valve connected in series with the main air supply line 101 and positioned towards the right-hand side of the apparatus. To operate the plungers 51, 51, all these control valves 98, 98, and 100, therefore have to be operated simultaneously, and as the operator will normally require to use both hands to perform this operation, a useful safety feature is thereby in troduced.

In use, for attaching a pair of hook members to the extension flap of a trousers waistband, the upper dies 38, 38, are first loaded with a backplate by operating the respective control valves 95 at the right-hand side. After loading, the foot treadle is depressed to lower the mandrel arm 36 and the pocketlike waistband extension flap is drawn over the free outer end of the mandrel, thereby introducing the upper dies 38, 38, loaded with the backplates into the interior of the extension flap.

The foot treadle is then released so that the mandrel arm 36 returns to its raised position in engagement with the underside of portion 37 of the frame part 35 which lightly clamps the waistband material in place. On operating the plunger control valves 98, 100, the lower dies 50, 50, loaded with the hook members 10 move up to perform the attachment operation.

As the lower dies 50, S0, descend on the return stroke, the hook members automatically detach themselves from the upper dies.

With the construction described, the mandrel arm and the lower dies, together with the hook member feed means, are left exposed and readily accessible so that an operator will notice immediately if any malfunction occurs in loading of the upper or lower dies and can quickly take action to remedy a fault. To assist the operator to view the upper dies, a mirror is also provided at the front of the machine.

If required, a single hook and backplate only can be attached by operating only one of each pair of control valve actuating levers so that only one of the upper dies is loaded with a backplate and only the plunger of the corresponding lower die is operated during the clenching operation.

By means of the arrangement described, wherein the upper dies, 38, 38, are downwardly-presented and adapted to receive the backplates, whilst the lower dies 50, 50, are adapted to receive the pronged components with the prongs presented upwardly, considerable simplicity is achieved in designing the automatic feed means and the general mechanical construction of the machine which does not require complex mechanical linkages. Thus, the backplate feed magazines can be positioned very close to the upper dies so that only a short connecting feed channel is required from each, and these magazines do not obstruct or interfere with the positioning of the pronged hook component feed means.

A further feature of the machine described is that the con trols are relatively simple and straightforward, and no complex electrical circuitry is required.

A machine of the general form described may also be designed for the attachment of pronged staples or eye members similar to that indicated by reference 12 in FIG. 1, and many modifications in constructional details are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the mandrel bar may be movably mounted in a different manner to bring it into a position in which it can readily be introduced into the garment waistband, and in one modification it may be slidably mounted on vertical guide posts or pins towards its inner end.

The machine shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is generally similar to the previous machine already described in detail, except that it is not provided with a mandrel arm and is designed to attach a single hook member to pieces of garment material. Accordingly, the upper die 200, of similar form to die 38 of the previous machine is provided in the undersurface of a hardened steel plate insert 201 of top frame crossmember 202 which constitutes a fixed head part carrying backplate storage magazine 204.

In this embodiment, a spring-loaded finger 205 releasably retains the backplates in upper die 200 after they have been loaded therein from a rearwardly extending feed channel which passes through member 202 and beneath magazine 204 and contains a reciprocatable feed slide as before.

The lower die 208 corresponds generally to the dies 50 of the previous machine, except that in this case it slides between vertical guide blocks 210, 210, one of which carries cam 211 for controlling movable jaw 212. The vertical plunger 214 carrying lower die 208 is operated by air cylinder 215.

For convenience. the hook member feed channel and vibratory feed drum used in this embodiment are omitted from the illustrations.

For supporting the garment material to which the hook fasteners are to be attached, the machine is fitted with a flat platform 220 extending forwardly from the fixed head part to which it is pivoted by rearwardly extending arms. This platform 220 is apertured immediately below the upper die 200 and is biassed by a spring 221 so as to be urged upwardly against the underside of member 202. It is also guided by a hinged depending skirt panel 222 which engages between frame side members 224, 224.

In use, the platform 220 is depressed, the piece of garment material is laid on top, and upon releasing the platform it moves upwardly and clamps a portion of the material lightly in position against the underside of the head part.

The feed slide for the backplate components is actuated by a horizontal lever 226 which extends behind the fixed head part 202 and is operated by compressed air cylinder 227 carried on a pivoted bracket mounting 228 at one side of side frame member 224. An arm 230 secured to plunger 231 ofair cylinder 227 is also arranged so that towards the end of the feed stroke, it engages and operates the actuating lever 233 of a control valve 234 which supplies the compressed air to, and operates, air cylinder 215 controlling the lower die 208.

The air cylinder 227 for operating the feed slide actuating lever 226 is controlled by a valve 237 manually-operated by lever 238 mounted conveniently on top of the fixed head part, and this is the only control part which requires to be set by the operator in order to initiate a full cycle of operation because control valve 234 of lower die air cylinder 215 is operated automatically by arm 230. if desired, feed slide lever 226 could be designed for manual operation, either directly or through a mechanical linkage, but the arrangement whereby the feed actuating mechanism automatically causes operation of the lower die is advantageous in that it ensures that a backplate is fed into the upper die 200 before each clenching operation. Again, this form of clenching machine as described has the desirable virtue of an overall mechanical simplicity which reduces the costs of manufacture and enables a high degree of reliability and efficiency to be attained under operational conditions.

I claim:

1. A machine for attaching, to garment material, prongedfastener members of garment fastening devices, said machine comprising in combination a downwardly-presented upper die adapted to be loaded with backplates of the pronged fastener members, prong clenching means provided by said upper die, an upwardly-presented lower die adapted to be loaded with the pronged fastener members having the prongs thereof directed upwards, means to feed and load automatically the backplates into the upper die, means to support said backplates during transfer and loading into the upper die, means to releasably retain said backplates in located position in said upper die, means to feed and load automatically the pronged fastener members into the lower die, and operating means to effect relative approach movement between the upper and lower dies to bring said dies into cooperative relationship and thereby in use to clench the prongs of the pronged fastener member during performance of the attachment operation.

2. A machine according to claim 1, having a verticallyreciprocatable plunger carrying said lower die, and having a carrier member which remains stationary during the attachment operation, the upper die comprising a shallow recess, adapted to accommodate and locate each separate backplate, which is provided in the underside of said carrier member.

3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein the means to releasably retain the backplate in located position in the upper die comprises a spring clip which isadapted to bear resiliently on one face of the backplates and which has a bevelled surface adapted to engage and guide the backplates into position during loading.

4. A machine according to claim, 2, wherein the upper die includes projections which register with apertures of the backplates and which provide anvil surfaces adapted to fold or clench over the prongs of the pronged fastener member during the attachment operation.

5. A machine according to claim 2, having a backplate storage magazine adjacent the upper die, a substantially horizontal feed channel which extends in alignment with the upper die from said storage magazine, and a reciprocatable feed slide in said feed channel adapted to feed the backplates forward into said die. I

6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein the feed slide has a feed surface for engaging the rear edge of a backplate within the feed channel, and a tongue portion which extends forwardly beyond said feed surface and engages the underside of said backplate which is supported thereby during transference from the feed channel to the upper die.

7. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the lower die is adapted to move upwardly during the attachment operation from an initial loading position and comprises a punch member, a resiliently-supported relatively slidable outer sleeve fitted on said punch member and providing at the top a cuplike recess into which the pronged fastener members are loaded through a side entrance, said sleeve carrying at one end of the cuplike recess a retractable pressure member adapted to grip and hold the pronged fastener members in located position in said recess during the upwards stroke of the die, a fixed cam surface being provided which acts upon and automatically retracts said pressure member when said die is in its loading position thereby to facilitate insertion of each pronged fastener member.

8. A machine according to claim 7, having a fixed head part carrying the upper die, and support means beneath said fixed head part upon which the garment material can be positioned, and wherein the lower die is adapted to be moved upwards to cooperate with the upper die by power-operated means controlled by means actuated automatically by the backplate feed mechanism.

9. A machine according to claim 1 in which the upper die is carried by a mandrel arm adapted to be inserted into a madeup pocket or sleeve portion of a garment, such as a trousers or skirt waistband.

10. A machine according to claim 9 wherein a fixed overhead abutment is positioned above the mandrel arm towards its free outer end to provide support during the attachment operation, means being provided for lowering the mandrel arm to provide clearance space between said abutment to facilitate fitting within the garment pocket or sleeve portion after loading the upper die, prior to the attachment operation.

11. A machine in accordance with claim 9 wherein the upper die comprises a spring clip having a blade spring secured to the underside of the mandrel arm for retaining the backplates, the machine having a feed channel which terminates adjacent one side of the mandrel arm, said backplates being loaded into said die from said feed channel. 

